The Forgiveness of Sins
by Murkatroyd
Summary: OneShot. Takes place during Book 7. Severus Snape did not flee out of fear just before the Battle of Hogwarts began. In fact, he never expected to survive the war. But he wasn't going to face the next great adventure without setting things right with a certain other Snape...


**Like Father Like Son**

OneShot, DH compliant! When Severus Snape fled Hogwarts for a few hours, it wasn't out of fear. He knew full well that he was going to die. He just wouldn't go without first setting things right once and for all with a certain other Snape...

'No!' shouted Filius Flitwick, as he used the statue to defend himself against the onslaught of daggers raging at him. 'You'll do no more murder at Hogwarts!'

Hissing, ex-Headmaster Severus Snape watched at Flitwick, along with Pomona Sprout and Horace Slughorn, all dashed towards him and Minerva McGonagall, from whom he had been defending himself against. Flitwick sent a spell at the statue he was hiding behind, and it sprung to life. Snarling, Severus threw the statue away from him with all the force he could muster and it flung across the room, hit the wall further down, and shattered to pieces. Dodging any other spells thrown at him, he ran for his life. He knew that McGonagall, Sprout and Flitwick were not far behind, and he could not run forever.

Seizing his chance, he sprinted into the nearest classroom, flung himself towards the window as the three other Professors followed, and smashed right through it, falling into the darkness. Knowing full well he'd die if he hit the ground, he waved his wand; his body took on a bat-like appearance and acquired its abilities, and he flew off.

'Coward! _COWARD!_' screamed McGonagall, who was staring out after him.

He did not turn around to stop her: he continued to fly towards the perimeter wall, but then he realized something, and he almost stopped in mid-flight because of it.

_The Dark Lord won't be pleased with me trying to flee..._ he thought. _He will most certainly be angry with me. Not to mention he most likely now known about the other problem... the Elder Wand..._

Deciding then and there on what he would do next, he flew towards the Forest. He could see from behind the figures who were staring out after him. McGonagall, Flitwick and Sprout were all standing in the silhouette of the broken window, as was a girl he recognized as that odd, meddling Lovegood girl. But what he couldn't believe was that Harry Potter was there with them.

He was almost tempted to fly back and make an attempt to grab at him, but he knew he would not get far: even if he made it to the window again without getting hit, the three Professors there would surely strike once he landed. He did not want to be on the end of Minerva McGonagall's rage. She was, after all, much more experienced than he in terms of magical power. He was merely more skilled in the Dark Arts.

No, he had one last score to settle before he went on to face death.

He reached the Forest, and landed immediately, changing back into his human form. He did not like using that awful bat-like form if he could help it... it reminded him too much of the Dark Lord, and how he was copying the one who he could not stand, could not digest...

He broke into a sprint towards the edges of the Apparition fields; they were not far into the Forest. Reaching them, he grabbed his wand from his pocket and Disapparated.

He appeared in a small neighborhood, not far from London. He had always hated this place. During the summers when he was not summoned by the Dark Lord or in the presence of Albus Dumbledore, he had stayed here, after kicking his _family_ (he almost sneered at the word) out and placing both Memory Charms on them and Muggle-repellant charms on the house. He had returned not to come to terms with the home he had hated all his life, but to come to terms with something else. He only hoped he was not too late; the Dark Lord would realize he was gone before too long.

He walked up to the doors of his home in Spinner's End, hesitated for a fraction of a second, and knocked three times. His greasy black hair framed his face, which was pale with worry, and his black robes hung from him almost unceremoniously.

The door opened, and a man appeared on the threshold, a Muggle bottle of alcohol in his hand. His messy dress shirt and worn-out trousers, his greasy face and untidy mop of dark brown hair only reminded Severus of one thing: his previous hatred of the man he had never loved.

The man before him was his father, Tobias Snape.

Tobias looked at him, almost scrutinizing him, before he belched slightly and asked the question Severus had been waiting for him to ask:

'What d'yeh want, boy?'

Severus cringed. After all this time, he still could not stand the smell of the man, the look he gave in or out of public, or the disgusting look on his Muggle face. Nevertheless, he was taller than the man before him by a fair amount, and he would not be put down by him. Not after all this time.

'I have come to see you,' Severus replied coldly, his low voice barely above a whisper. 'Speak to you if I could. I do not have a lot of time left in this world, so it is now or never.'

Tobias Snape scrutinized him a bit more, and then stepped away from the door.

'Well, come in, then,' he said gruffly.

Severus stepped into the house that he knew only too well. He would always hate this place, even after death. The ordinary look it gave off, the amount of books – Muggle and magical alike – piled within, and above all, the disgusting smell of alcohol pouring over the place.

Tobias led him into the sitting room, where a Muggle television set was blaring. A sporting game that Severus recognized in passing as soccer was being displayed. Apparently his father never had anything better to do than sit around and drink while watching his television set. He never understood why Tobias was such a – he almost scoffed at the word – a _slob_.

Tobias sat down on his armchair, pointing a remote control at the television, which powered off at once. Severus sat down on the couch across from him, brushing off his robes and trousers as he did so. For a while, neither spoke.

'So why did yeh come?' asked Tobias suddenly. 'We never 'ad much of 'n understanding, Sev'rus. Yeh never liked me, I never liked yeh. What's changed now?'

Severus sighed. He did not know himself why he was doing this. It just seemed right. He knew that _she_ would have wanted him to do it in the end, before he passed on...

'It's like I said, Father,' he replied. 'I don't have a lot of time left for this world. I just wanted to see you one last time before the inevitable happens and I no longer get that chance.'

'What's happened, Sev'rus?' croaked Tobias, slurring slightly because of the alcohol. 'Why d'yeh keep sayin' yeh don' have time left? What's gonna happen ter yeh?'

'You know about my predicament from so long ago,' Severus replied. It felt harder to explain himself, but his father did deserve to know the reasoning, after all. 'You know how I gave myself up to th-the Dark Lord, how I took the mark-" (At this, he pulled up his sleeve and showed the Dark Mark, burning in his skin) "-and you know about him, the Dark Lord, and how he relied on me for so long now. Well, the fear I've had for so long has come to pass now. He no longer needs me alive. In fact, he cannot ascend as long as I am still alive.'

Tobias nodded, taking this in; even when he was intoxicated, he was a keen man when he had to be. He just didn't like being keen was all.

'Well, now that he no longer needs me, I will soon be facing death,' Severus continued. 'But before I die, I wanted to see you one last time, and set things right.'

Tobias' mouth dropped open.

'Father, I ask your forgiveness. I'm sorry for everything that I've ever done to you and Mother. I'm sorry I burdened you so much, for so long.'

Severus stopped there, his hands folded in his lap, his black eyes shining. He waited for a response. For several minutes, none came. Then, when he had given up hope on hearing one, and was making to stand and leave forever, Tobias Snape spoke.

'I forgive yeh, m'son.'

Severus stood and faced Tobias, who stood as well. They stood with only a foot between them. Neither was going to try and embrace the other, for there was far too much animosity between them for even forgiveness to destroy, so Severus raised his hand, and Tobias took it. Neither took their eyes off the other.

'I'm going to miss you, Father. Surprising as it is, I will miss you,' said Severus almost sadly, accepting the fact that this was the last time he would see the man he had always hated and had once admired.

'Yeah, I'll miss yeh as well,' replied Tobias. 'But yeh're grown up now, aren' yeh? Yeh're ready ter face yer fate now, Sev'rus.'

They let go, and Severus walked back towards the front door. He only had a bit longer before the Dark Lord's inevitable summoning.

He had just grabbed the doorknob when Tobias Snape spoke again.

'I'm sorry too, Sev'rus.'

Severus turned around, eyes shining with happiness. Tobias was standing in the doorway to the sitting room, without a beer bottle in his hand. He was slightly bowed, as though in respectful salute.

'Good luck in th' next life.'

Severus nodded curtly, bowed as well, and left the house. He immediately Disapparated, heading for the Forbidden Forest of Hogwarts, his last stop before death.

Running as fast as he could towards the school, he could see that a battle had already waged at the magic school. Lights were ablaze in the castle, and what looked like Fiendfyre was blazing on top of the seventh floor – _the Room of Requirement_, he remembered.

He saw Avery running at full speed towards another person with his wand aloft, someone Severus recognized from the Order of the Phoenix – might've been Hestia Jones or another one he did not know by name – and Severus directed his wand at the man he had hated since his school days, the man who had indirectly contributed to him losing Lily Evans as a friend forever –

'_Sectumsempra!_' he shouted.

The curse hit Avery in the back, and it was sliced open. Blood poured everywhere out of him, and he fell, lifeless and scarred, to the ground, landing face first in the grass.

The woman looked around for her savior, but Severus had already resumed sprinting towards the castle, looking anywhere for Harry Potter, or even someone else whom he must warn –

'SEVERUS! SEVERUS, STOP! WAIT UP!'

He froze and spun on the spot. Lucius Malfoy was speeding towards him, and he looked frantic. Severus knew what he was here for before he had even opened his mouth again.

'Severus, the Dark Lord wants you immediately. He wishes to speak to you.'

Severus sighed. He had figured as much. The Dark Lord had finally realized why the Elder Wand would not work for him, and was now going to end the blockade for good.

'Lead the way, Lucius,' he said, accepting his fate.

Lucius sprinted off again, and Severus was right behind him. They were heading, Severus could see, for the Whomping Willow. _Of course,_ he thought. _He's hiding within the Shrieking Shack._

'Severus, have you seen Draco anywhere? I must make sure that he is all right,' yelled Lucius in a panicked voice.

'No, I have not,' Severus replied in an equally high voice.

Lucius merely let his shoulders slump in despair. He cast a Levitating Charm on a small rock and hurled it at the knot in the tree, and it stirred, no longer moving.

'The Dark Lord is waiting for you, Severus. Good luck,' said Lucius.

'Thank you,' replied Severus. 'Goodbye, old friend.'

Lucius looked around for a second, but Severus had already thrown himself into the hole that would lead to the Shrieking Shack. On and on he crawled, until he reached the small room where he knew the Dark Lord was waiting. He pulled himself out of the tunnel, straightened out his robes absently, and walked into the room.

Voldemort was standing in the middle of the room, his back to the doorway, looking out the window at the madness of the battle going on. Nagini, his snake, was floating in her swirling cage, seemingly protected from any form of attack.

With one last sigh at what would come, Severus Snape walked into the room, looking at the last place he would ever see.

Please review. Thank you for reading my short little story.

- General Murk


End file.
